The American Bahá’í/Volume 4/Issue 10/Text
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Next global plan to last five years[edit]
The next global plan, to be launched at Riḍván 1974, will be of five years’ duration, The Universal House of Justice has announced. This new five-year plan will be shorter than any of the four plans conducted to date.
The overall goals of the next plan will be transmitted to the National Assemblies at Naw-Rúz, the House of Justice said in a 21 November 1973 letter to national administrative bodies. The Feast of Naw-Rúz, which ushers in the Bahá’í year, is March 21.
The National Assemblies were also urged to arrange for a meeting with the Continental Board of Counsellors in their zones some time after Naw-Rúz to consider the plan and the manner in which it is to be launched in each country, The Universal House of Justice said.
In addition, the Assemblies were asked to give careful consideration to the advisability of holding one or more conferences to introduce the plan to the friends and explain to them the goals they will have to accomplish in the five-year period.
“We believe that such conferences would greatly assist in acquainting the friends with the nature and aims of the plan and in enlisting their enthusiasm and resolution to achieve it,” the House of Justice said.
The Supreme Institution stressed the importance of ensuring the participation of youth, “so that they may feel wholly identified with tasks assigned and give their immediate and maximum support to their accomplishment.”
Some of these instructions given by The Universal House of Justice in its 21 November letter were anticipated by earlier actions of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States.
Bahá’ís at Youth Conference in Oklahoma City last June. The National Teaching Committee feels Bahá’í youth should maintain momentum generated there.
Winter projects planned by NTC[edit]
The National Teaching Committee has established winter teaching projects for high school and college Bahá’í clubs throughout the United States, to help win the goals set by the National Spiritual Assembly for this interim year, and to prepare Bahá’í youth for the challenges of the next global teaching plan.
The National Teaching Committee has asked all campus Bahá’í clubs to consider engaging in circuit teaching during vacation periods from now until April, and called for prompt meetings by the clubs to plan schedules for winter teaching projects.
Circuit teaching could involve one or more members of the Bahá’í clubs, and could be directed to a neighboring community, or another region of the country entirely, the NTC said.
“The important thing is that youth arise now to fulfill the beloved Master’s wish for American travel teachers,” a letter from the Committee to Bahá’í clubs said.
Once plans are developed the clubs should contact the National Teaching Committee to report on the area selected for a travel teaching project, the number of people participating, and the time the project will be carried out, the NTC said. If the club is sponsored by a Local Spiritual Assembly, that institution should be asked for guidance in the formulation of plans. The District Teaching Committee should also be
Youth should become Apostles[edit]
In developing this year’s youth goals, the National Teaching Committee determined that Bahá’í youth should begin to fulfill the conditions set in the Tablets of the Divine Plan, for becoming Apostles in the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh.
These conditions were:
- firmness in the Covenant of God, fellowship and love amongst the believers, and
- teaching throughout all the regions.
The concern that this be done is reflected in the principal youth goals promulgated by the NTC to complement the goals for the general community announced by the National Spiritual Assembly in its 28 June 1973 letter to all Bahá’ís.
In a letter to the Bahá’í youth dated 19 November 1973 the NTC noted that the challenges to youth of the new global teaching plan would be staggering.
“If American Bahá’í youth are to play their full role in winning these victories, they will truly need to become Apostles of Bahá’u’lláh,” the NTC said.
Goals were made for each of the three areas leading to apostleship in the Bahá’í Faith.
To gain firmness in the Covenant, youth were asked to deepen their understanding of the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, and to apply its teachings to the spiritualization of
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Five-Year Plan
(Continued from page one)
“Without any hint of the decisions being made at the World Centre, the National Spiritual Assembly decided in September to hold a national conference some time after Riḍván for the specific purpose of launching the next plan in the American Bahá’í community,” a commentary on the House of Justice letter said. (See December National Bahá’í Review.)
The announcement of a national conference to launch the next plan, to be held in St. Louis, Missouri, August 29 through September 1, 1974, was made in the November issue of The American Bahá’í.
Moreover, the Continental Counsellors and the National Assembly agreed, at a meeting last October, to meet shortly after receiving the outline of the new plan, “to consult on the best means by which it should be implemented,” the NSA commentary said.
“Thus, the action of the National Spiritual Assembly in calling for a conference, which will be held in St. Louis between August 29 and September 1, 1974, and the agreement it reached with the Continental Counsellors in scheduling joint consultations on the plan fortuitously anticipated the instructions of The Universal House of Justice,” the National Assembly said. “The friends may, therefore, rest assured that no time will be lost in bringing to them through the National Convention, through the St. Louis conference and other means, the full implications of the eagerly awaited plan which, no doubt, will mark another glorious chapter in the unfoldment of God’s design for the redemption of mankind.”
The best preparation for the next plan, the National Assembly said, will be for the friends to fulfill the objectives set for this interim year by the National Assembly in its 28 June 1973 letter to the American believers.
Youth Apostles
(Continued from page one)
their individual lives.
“As a first step, each youth should enroll in a formal study program centering on the Comprehensive Deepening Program or implement a personal program of individual study,” the NTC said. “Particular emphasis should be placed on the sections dealing with the Covenant and on “A Fortress for Well-Being.” Additional deepening goals will be announced as the year progresses.”
The National Teaching Committee also asked that high school and college clubs initiate regular, planned fellowship activities.
“All Bahá’í youth, whether or not they are members of the Campus Club, should work within their own communities to foster the unity envisioned by the Master,” the NTC letter said.
In the area of travel teaching, the NTC set three goals:
- first, Bahá’í youth should endeavor to become travel teachers and homefront pioneers, and high school and college clubs should consider organizing circuit teaching projects.
- Second, the youth should begin to organize firesides and report each one to the NTC by postcard. The Committee hopes to receive 1,000 postcards by next Riḍván.
- all campus Bahá’í clubs should establish teaching goals and encourage their members to set personal goals.
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ST. LOUIS CONFERENCE The dates for the conference in St. Louis have been modified by the National Spiritual Assembly. In November, we reported it would be held from August 28 through September 2. The conference will now be held August 29 through September 1. |
| the American Bahá’í
Photo and Drawing Credits COVER: Junius Lee Beckman, Jr. of South Carolina by Paul Slaughter; 1-5 TAB Photo; 9 Gary Matthews; 10 (top) Jon Anastasio, (bottom) Duke and Marcia Groen; 11 (bottom) George Galinkin; 12 TAB Photo. BACK COVER: TAB Photo, Olive Lopez, Gary Matthews. THE AMERICAN BAHÁ’Í is published monthly by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois 60091. Material must be received by the 15th of the month prior to publication. Black and white glossy prints should be included with material whenever possible. Articles and news written in a clear and concise manner are welcomed from individuals as well as assemblies and committees. Address all mail to: The American Bahá’í Editorial Office, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois 60091. |
Winter Projects
(Continued from page one)
informed of details, in order to assist clubs in getting their projects under way, the NTC explained.
“During the Nine Year Plan, American Bahá’í youth offered exemplary service to their Lord in the arena of teaching,” the NTC letter recalled. “The National Teaching Committee firmly believes that these servants will arise once again to demonstrate to the world the power of their faith.”
The letter, however, did warn that the goals set by the National Assembly this year to prepare the community for the next global teaching plan are threatened. “Without overwhelming effort and important sacrifice on the part of the individual believers, these goals will not be won,” the NTC said.
CONTINENTAL BOARD OF COUNSELLORS for North America during a meeting with the National Spiritual Assembly in Wilmette. From left to right: Mrs. Velma Sherrill, Mr. Lloyd Gardner, Dr. Sarah Pereira, and Miss Edna True.
Universal Participation can win the masses[edit]
A regional conference for South Carolina, sponsored by the Southern Regional Teaching Committee, was held in Columbia, November 22-25. The event concluded a five-month teaching plan conducted by the Regional Committee. The theme for the four days was Universal Participation. Approximately 250 persons attended the sessions held at the Wade-Hampton Hotel, located across from the State Capitol, which still flies a Confederate flag atop the building. The hotel itself was named for a southern general.
Featured speakers included Continental Counsellor Dr. Sarah Pereira and Auxiliary Board members Mrs. Nancy Phillips and Dr. Jane McCants. Former Counsellor Dr. William Maxwell, now an instructor at the University of North Carolina, was also a principal speaker.
“It is truly a weekend of thanksgiving,” Mrs. Alberta Lansdowne, secretary of the Regional Teaching Committee, said in her opening remarks at the conference. “The conference has been on our agenda for almost a year-and-a-half,” she confided. “In recent days, because of the gasoline shortage and the difficulties that have developed in travel, we thought of cancelling this conference; but the Regional Teaching Committee felt after some reflection that given the ominous world situation, this might be one of the last opportunities in a long while to meet together to consult on the progress of the Faith in South Carolina. It is indeed a bounty to be here.”
The theme of the conference, universal participation, was chosen because it was deemed the only effective way to reach the masses, she said.
“This year is a special year that The Universal House of Justice has given us to put down roots in the Cause of God, as individuals, as groups and as Assemblies,” she said. “Everyone will have to do their part in the time that remains before the launching of a new plan, to make this a memorable and productive year.”
Mrs. Alberta Lansdowne
Teaching and consolidation work in South Carolina has been conducted at an energetic pace since last Riḍván. Efforts were made to accomplish not only the interim-year goals established for the general community by the National Assembly, but to win an additional set of goals proposed by the Regional Teaching Committee as well. A special five-month teaching plan, which culminated in the Universal Participation Conference in Columbia, was presented to the State at a consolidation conference in Frogmore, June 2-3. The plan called on each Assembly to attempt to enroll a significant number of new believers; and it proposed the training of a large corps of teachers to assist the Bahá’í workers spread so thinly across the State.
The scarcity of deepened Bahá’ís to carry out the work of consolidating the significant numbers of new believers enrolled in the State in recent years is a serious concern of the Regional Committee, Mrs. Lansdowne said. She estimated that less than twenty pioneers have come through the Regional Committee to settle in the State in two years. “More people are needed,” she said, “but they must be people who come ready and willing to serve. People who are too deeply involved with self cannot do much good here.”
The Regional Committee has selected eleven sites, in the central portion, and along the outer edges of the State, that need settlers with urgency. “By getting people in these eleven areas we will achieve some coverage for the hundreds of Bahá’ís that don’t have a deepened believer to work with,” she said. “It won’t give us saturation, but it will give us a start.”
McCants
Maxwell
Pereira
Phillips
One area in need of a pioneer is Walterboro, a town with 135 Bahá’ís in the State’s southern region. “We have been trying to get a pioneer there for some time,” Mrs. Lansdowne said. “When we visit, the people are beautiful. They are Bahá’ís; but they are not even able to form their own group, because they don’t know how Bahá’í administration differs from church administration. If someone could visit them and show them just a little of what must be done, they could begin to actively administer the Faith in Walterboro.”
In Conway, a community in the same area with more than 100 believers, the pioneer moved away in the same week the conference was held in Columbia. Conway must now find a replacement. Communities like Conway are not exceptions; they are, more often than not, the rule in South Carolina.
Mrs. Alverta Jefferson, an elderly Bahá’í from Sumter, near Columbia, is perhaps a not untypical new believer in this region. She gave a
The friends listened closely to the advice of the speakers.
Universal Participation: Everyone Knows You Are There and They Watch Closely[edit]
Members of the Sumter, South Carolina, Spiritual Assembly. From right to left, Mrs. Alverta Jefferson, Mr. Calib Jefferson, Miss Frances Saddler, and Mrs. Ida Mae Gregg.
(Continued from page three)
brief presentation during a portion of the conference reserved for comments from new believers. “I am going to start back from the life of Jesus,” she announced. “Jesus helped me to appreciate Bahá’u’lláh.”
“John the Baptist came to prepare the way for Jesus; and after Jesus set the example for us to go by, man strayed away from His teachings. When God saw the condition of the world, He sent the Báb to prepare the way for Bahá’u’lláh. We all let Jesus down; let us strive not to let Bahá’u’lláh down.”
Mrs. Jefferson heard about the Faith a little more than a year ago when a Bahá’í teacher informed her of the advent of Bahá’u’lláh. She turned to her Bible to see what Jesus said about this Revelation, and when she satisfied her own soul, as she put it, she enrolled. “I was living a Bahá’í life long before I became one,” she concluded. “In the Faith, I found a family that believed as I did.”
Mrs. Jefferson is a member of the Local Assembly of Sumter. At an Assembly deepening the night before the start of the conference, she talked about the importance of the Assembly with a group of fellow Assembly members and visitors.
“The Spiritual Assembly is the light of the community,” she observed. “It is supposed to be strong enough to straighten out the affairs of the community, to keep it always on the right track. It is supposed to work in unity and with love among its members. Anything worth getting angry over is worth getting together to smooth out. Differences must be brought out in the open and cleared away, so that the community can meet with a clear conscience,” she said.
Another new believer at the conference was Bobby Ellis, from the Hartsville community. At the time of the conference, he had been a Bahá’í for four months and was an active teacher in his town.
“I’m proud to be here with so many loving people,” he told the friends assembled there. “I’ve never been with a group of people that loved it so good.” He addressed himself to the conference theme of universal participation: “There are five ways The Universal House of Justice says we can all participate in living the life,” he explained. “These are praying, teaching, living the Bahá’í Faith, giving to the Bahá’í Fund, and fighting our own spiritual battles.”
“In fighting my own spiritual battles I learned we have to pray every day,” he said. “And we have to teach other people about the Faith. Teach your friends; don’t try to keep it to yourselves.”
“As a Bahá’í, I’m going to try to continue to be loving and kind to everyone,” he continued. “As I leave the stand I want to say that I love you all.”
A person willing to serve as a pioneer in South Carolina will, according to Mrs. Lansdowne, visit the new believers in their homes and become friends with them. This will take work; and it will require a car, to travel from one locality to the next on this important mission.
It will also require that the friends “be agreed within themselves” to obey the laws and teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, Mrs. Lansdowne said, “especially the obvious laws of personal conduct.”
“The people watch you when you are new here in the South,” she said. “Everyone knows you are there. They know you even if you don’t know them; and it is by the life you lead that you attract them to the Faith. Naturally, they judge the Faith by the individuals they see associated with it.”
“The people can feel when the pioneers are giving of themselves,” she said. “They will give their all to the pioneers; they will share anything they have. But they can be turned off too, especially by unseemly conduct, like lying, cheating, and other poor attributes.”
In addition to pioneers, travel teachers are needed in South Carolina. At the time of the conference, there was only one travel teacher in
Bahá’í children and youth participated fully in the conference activities. There were special classes for children, an art contest, and a teaching skit performed by the youth.
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South Carolina, a young woman from New Mexico.
“Travel teachers can help to keep the Assemblies going,” Mrs. Lansdowne said. “I think we need travel teachers as much as we need pioneers. The movement of new people from place to place keeps excitement alive in the communities.”
In two years of service, the principal achievement of the Regional Committee has been, according to Mrs. Lansdowne, to systematize the State’s approach to consolidation. “We find that by systematic planning we can accomplish more,” she said. “We can cover more ground, we can create more functioning Assemblies, and have better functioning District Teaching Committees.”
Today there are sixty-nine Local Spiritual Assemblies in South Carolina, where in 1968 there were only three. Thirty-six of the Assemblies hold regular children’s classes, firesides, and deepenings. Fifty-five have elected officers and are functioning regularly.
There are also 118 groups with more than nine believers. Without help, however, only about fifty can be brought to Assembly status next Riḍván. The first priority, of course, is to re-elect the Assemblies that already exist. Beyond that, the District Teaching Committees have been asked to bring ten groups up to Assembly status and five centers up to group status. That gives each District Teaching Committee at least fifteen localities to work with until Riḍván. Some have more. The Eastern District, for example, is responsible for forty-seven communities where Bahá’ís now reside.
New Board Appointment
Mrs. Elizabeth Martin, of Winnsboro, South Carolina, made her first appearance as an Auxiliary Board member at the Universal Participation Conference in Columbia. Mrs. Martin was appointed to the Auxiliary Board for the Propagation of the Faith on November 20.
NOTE: Additional material from this South Carolina conference will appear in the January edition of The American Bahá’í.
On Homefront Pioneering[edit]
Why not settle in Savannah?[edit]
Southern Georgia, including Macon, Savannah, Columbus, Valdosta, Perry, and Fort Benning, is in desperate need of homefront pioneers. There are some 1,700 registered Bahá’ís in the district, and only about 50 believers are capable of doing consolidation work. Some of them are unable to travel and visit in the state, while others are able to do limited traveling and deepening because of family and working commitments. The workload is tremendous, and the friends feel a great need for help from deepened Bahá’ís from other areas.
Georgia is a beautiful state in both climate and people. There are cities and towns rich in history, fine architecture, pleasant parks, and recreational areas. Several small colleges and junior colleges provide fine opportunities for learning and teaching. Many cultures blend together to produce unique southern attitudes that afford new insights to Bahá’ís who come to live and teach the Faith here.
Southern Georgia, one of the early locations for mass teaching, is an excellent place for people to come to. Many Georgians have heard the word “Bahá’í” and would like to know more about it and about the people who profess a belief in the Faith. It is sometimes a long and hard process of becoming “accepted,” but it seems to be the most successful way of bringing in new believers who will become deepened and active and happy in the Faith.
Bahá’ís interested in pioneering to southern Georgia should write to the Southern Georgia District Teaching Committee, Mrs. Amelia S. Baker, Secretary, 307 Troutman Avenue, Fort Valley, Georgia 31030.
Greatest Need in South Carolina[edit]
One of the areas of the United States with the greatest need for homefront pioneers is South Carolina. As they do in many southern states, great challenges and ample rewards await the dedicated servants of Bahá’u’lláh who are ready to accept them.
Bahá’ís contemplating service in South Carolina should write directly to the South Carolina Regional Teaching Committee, P.O. Box 337, Goose Creek, South Carolina 29445. This Committee is responsible for coordinating pioneering work in South Carolina.
The work of calling on new believers and of increasing their sense of Bahá’í community is long and tiring, but the spiritual rewards are plentiful.
The Bahá’ís who arise to perform this challenging work should remember that they must be obedient to the local institutions and committees responsible for administering the work of the Faith. A car, in good condition, is a vital piece of equipment necessary for the job. Above all, quality in teaching and rectitude of conduct must be maintained by all who are engaged in this noble enterprise.
The friends should carefully and realistically view their attitudes, resources, and motives before making a commitment to serve in this area. Those who are struggling with financial difficulties, or having problems with personal conduct, only jeopardize the teaching work that has been painstakingly done here.
Neither the Regional Office nor District Teaching Committees are prepared to serve as an employment agency. The friends must seek their own employment. However, jobs are plentiful in this state, for those with useful skills to offer. For example, South Carolina is one of the few states in the country where it is still possible to find work teaching school. The cost of living in South Carolina is relatively low, another advantage for those who are considering moving to the state.
A word to the wise about careers[edit]
At the request of the National Teaching Committee we publish below portions of a letter from Dr. Alfred K. Neumann, Associate Professor, Division of Population, Family and International Health, University of California, Los Angeles, to a young woman who asked for advice on a career.
Dr. Neumann, a member of the International Goals Committee, is often asked to counsel young Bahá’ís uncertain about the long-term commitments they will make. His observations to this young lady may be useful to other Bahá’ís facing the same confusing dilemma.
First of all, you must take to heart the obvious fact that there are many ways in which one can play a socially productive and useful role in this world. In fact, it is part of the perfection of our creation that there are many different kinds of people with different aptitudes and inclinations and that what you do is not as important as doing whatever you finally settle upon to the very best of your abilities in a spirit of service to your fellowman.
The first step in choosing a career, I think, is to carefully evaluate yourself. Is it important for you to work in close contact with other people? Do you like to work as part of a team, or do you prefer to work alone? Are you happy working inside, or do you crave the out-of-doors? Is it important to you to have immediate satisfactions and feedback about your work, or can you accept deferred satisfactions? Let me use an example from the medical field to explain the latter.
A physician in clinical practice working with acutely ill patients has fairly quick feedback as to how a case is going. The patient usually recovers, must be referred to someone else, or dies.
There is, in private practice, however, a considerable amount of repetition, and the number of individuals a physician in clinical practice can serve is limited. Some health professionals prefer to work at a county or city level where there is still a great deal of contact with people, but there are not the immediate satisfactions as in the former case.
A successful county or state health program will reach out to a much wider range of individuals than is possible for a private medical practice. Results take longer, but some people prefer to be involved in a broad impact program. Finally, there are opportunities for service in the health field—and this holds true of other fields—at the central government level. Contacts with individuals are more limited than in private practice or even state health work. It may take years before the planning of a program reaches fruition, and indeed, this may never happen because of major political or economic changes. But when a good plan does succeed, it affects many millions of people. There is potentially a great multiplier effect to one’s efforts at these levels.
All spheres of activity are important, and mutually interdependent, of course. But you must ask yourself at which level you prefer to function.
Other relevant questions come to mind: Are you a person who can sit still for long periods of time, or must you be moving about? Do you require periods of quiet and solitude, or do you crave the hustle and bustle of, for example, a newspaper’s city room? Do you have a need to create, or do you prefer to let someone else worry about the originating of theories and concepts, and would yourself be concerned with their implementation?
Do you enjoy responsibility, or does major responsibility and the attendant pressures give you stomach cramps? What kind of climate suits you best? Have you tried living in the humid tropics, or at high altitudes, or in a cold climate? Do you have a head for details, and how are you as a manager? Do you tend to run out of gas because you forget to check the gauge, leave bills unpaid, leave clothes behind in hotel rooms, forget appointments, etc.? If so, then it is better to avoid positions requiring a capacity for paying attention to infinite detail.
In a similar vein, do you have the capacity to reason abstractly, to correlate multiple variables, and to project into the future? If these qualities are present, then you might consider a career in city planning.
Do you enjoy the precise concepts of mathematics? Do you enjoy working with fiscal concepts? If affirmative, you might consider a career in programming, in economics, or in system analysis.
The kind of self-appraisal suggested can be painful and takes time. Meanwhile,
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what does one do? It is helpful if one realizes that almost everyone, but especially persons in the age interval of 16–24, goes through a period of agonizing self-appraisal. Frequently, the person with multiple talents and interests has the most difficult time, because there are many courses of action open. The most effective workers are generally those who, before embarking on specialized careers, have had a broad employment background embracing many disciplines. This condition holds true for a number of professions.
What you should do is determine the several most likely career paths you can follow, and make sure that your preparatory work allows you to pursue any number of alternative courses of action, and doesn’t close doors or lead into dead ends. In other words, I would suggest that you do not try to specialize too early in life. For example, if ultimately you would like to go into systems analysis or economic planning and work in the health field, you will be much more effective if you have a background in biology, understand basic principles of epidemiology, and have a firm grounding in the humanities. If you are to become a behavioral scientist or work as a community organizer/health educator, you will be much more effective and better able to evaluate your programs if you have grounding in science, statistics, and concepts of program evaluation.
Thus, I would suggest that your early years of study include mathematics, introductory economics, political theory, biology, chemistry, literature, history, sociology, anthropology, and philosophy. Also, foreign language training is highly desirable if you are interested in overseas work. Be sure to work very hard. The first and most important criterion for admission to graduate school is academic attainment. Recommendations regarding qualities of character, personality, etc., are considered secondarily.
A few words about my own training and present work may be of some use to you. As an undergraduate, I basically pursued a premedical course, augmented by economics, philosophy, literature, and foreign language training. Upon completing my first degree, I couldn’t decide whether to pursue economics or medicine. Though I was admitted to medical school, I decided to decline in favor of earning a Master’s degree in economics. My reasoning was that if I ultimately decided to go on to medicine, a degree in economics would be very useful, especially in a public health career; whereas, had I entered medical school first, and after some years decided I would switch over to economics, I would have lost a great deal. As it worked out, I did go into medicine, and after a short period of private practice, decided on a career in public health.
I’ve now evolved to a point where my role includes teaching, research, service activities, and the organization, management, and evaluation of community health programs. This embraces a number of spheres of activity which I find challenging and interesting. The most important point I want to make is that this did not come about overnight but involved a total of 14 years of study and practical experience, including internship and residency training. The process entailed a considerable amount of work and involved complex financing, including family funding, work, scholarships, fellowships, and on occasion, loans. The point is that it can be done, and many others have followed similar courses, some under even more difficult circumstances.
In conclusion, let me stress the need to maintain forward momentum. Devise a working hypothesis which may be modified periodically. The process of finding one’s self is usually accelerated by involvement in constructive activity which is leading towards a definite goal. Also, explore the job market, even now. It will give you an idea of what is available, what the pay scales are, and what prospective employers are seeking.
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Jeopardized Local Spiritual Assemblies
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The mail[edit]
Birthday idea[edit]
Do you have a birthday? Of course, everyone has a birthday. It is our very own day, when family and friends make a special fuss over us. Gifts and attention are directed our way. But think a moment—who really gave you that special day of your own? Shouldn’t we thank Him Who gave us all our days, and share some of the joy with Him? Try it. On your birthday send a contribution to the National Fund.
Should every American Bahá’í join in this effort, can you imagine what it could do for the Fund? Birthday contributions would be coming in every day of the year, from every state in the nation—it might even wipe out the deficit!
Yours for a joyous birthday, in His Name,
Unity appealing[edit]
Sometime in early 1971 or late 1970, I watched the David Susskind show which featured Seals and Crofts. I did not know who they were but I was quite enchanted by their lovely folk music. On that show they spoke about the Faith and I suppose since the word Bahá’í is out of the ordinary, it stuck in my mind.
The idea of mankind being united had always appealed to me anyway. Then in late August of 1971, I was winding up my first tour to Europe and the United Kingdom in Cardiff, Wales, and I was in Castle Park with my best friend (who is now spending the year studying in Paris), when we spotted some young people playing guitars and having a nice time.
I wanted to go over and listen to them play, having been so lonely and tired after a two-month tour. However, my friend said no, insisting that we might be intruding on them. I knew that we wouldn’t be and unfortunately we had a short argument about it but my friend agreed to go back.
Two of the young women came over to us and handed us a flier about the Bahá’í Faith and a meeting on the subject that night in one of the young women’s parents’ home. Well, I thought it was so nice of them to approach us that we agreed to come that evening to the question and answer session. We stayed for quite a while at the elderly couple’s home chatting, having tea and talking about travel and the Faith. I found them so hospitable that I agreed to write when I came back to the States. Even my friend was impressed.
If they are any indication of the kind of people whom I will meet as a Bahá’í I would love to join now. They are truly extraordinary people. When I remarked about their kindness they indicated that they were merely putting into practice the principles of the Bahá’í Faith.
(From a letter by a young lady who became interested in the Bahá’í Faith while vacationing in Europe.)
Pedal patter[edit]
I have recently ended a 2,400-mile bicycling trip through the Pacific Northwest and would like to share some of my experiences with you.
After the National Bahá’í Youth Conference in Oklahoma City last June, I left Fort Collins, Colorado, on a biking and camping trip that took me through Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington and Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
Amidst all of my gear (clothes, food, fishing pole, camera, etc.) there was one small item that helped tremendously in making my trip an enjoyable and meaningful experience; it was a Bahá’í Faith button. I wore the button on the front of my cap for the entire trip and was very pleased at the frequency with which my teaching prayers were being answered.
I spoke with hundreds of people during the seventy-five days I spent on the road and I would smile inside and out whenever I would see someone trying to read my button from out the corner of his eye.
The button sparked a lot of questions and I found myself giving many “on-the-spot” firesides. I met other people who had some previous contact with the Bahá’í Faith. They would say, “Oh, you’re a Bahá’í! I know a Bahá’í in such and such a place” or “I’ve been to your temple in Wilmette.”
I had no problem giving away the Bahá’í pamphlets and fact sheets I carried with me and many people wanted to know how to contact Bahá’ís in their area. Perhaps Bahá’í communities should consider keeping a local listing in their phone book. A phone listing provides seekers with Bahá’í contacts. There are times, too, when a Bahá’í visiting another area would like to make contact with Bahá’ís in that town.
Some of the highlights of my trip were the days that I spent visiting with Bahá’í communities. There is no warmer feeling than sharing prayers with Bahá’ís that you have just met.
With warm Bahá’í love,
Sad fact[edit]
For nearly as long as anyone can remember, The National Bahá’í Fund has been in financial trouble.
The sad fact is that, for about the last 10 years, American Bahá’ís have failed to reach any year’s contribution goal set by the National Spiritual Assembly.
So far, this year has been pretty much of an instant replay of last year. The year-end financial goal—$2.5 million—is the same as last year’s. And the year-to-date contributions pretty much parallel the amount donated during the 1972–73 Bahá’í fiscal year.
So, if the giving trend continues, we can expect to wind up this Bahá’í year with the usual last-minute donation rush, a unique combination of too little and too late, that will push us somewhere up to about the $1.9 million mark.
Which means that—once again—the National Fund will fall far short of its goal.
The American Bahá’í community hasn’t reached its national financial goal in 10 years of trying and no one seems to know why not.
It must be regarded as odd that, over this same stretch of time, we have more than doubled our numbers of enrolled believers, grown from 330 Local Spiritual Assemblies to well over the 800 mark, but still cannot seem to produce the money to finance the needs created by this growth rate.
The Universal House of Justice has written to the National Spiritual Assembly, saying the financial problems facing the American Bahá’í community are spiritual, not material.
The American Bahá’í community has demonstrated it can reach unparalleled heights in growth. We have successfully proclaimed our Faith in just about every conceivable circumstance from cotton field to college campus.
Actively promoting the growth of the Faith carries with it an obligation to supply enough money to enable that new growth to survive and prosper.
But, as long as many Bahá’ís refuse to provide the necessary financial support for their administrative institutions, the expansion and success of the Faith will be handicapped.
WORLD ORDER[edit]
WORLD ORDER can help you show seekers the relevance of the Bahá’í Faith to current problems.
[Page 9]
Knoxville media conference
On the trail of good publicity[edit]
About 25 Bahá’ís from three states came together in Knoxville, Tennessee, October 13, to study methods of publicizing the Faith and developing Bahá’í communities.
Dr. William Tucker, Auxiliary Board member from Asheville, North Carolina, was among those speaking at the conference, sponsored by the East Tennessee District Teaching Committee and attended by Bahá’ís from Tennessee, Kentucky and North Carolina.
Workshops on publicity were conducted by Mr. Gary Matthews, a newspaper reporter from Tullahoma, Tennessee; Mr. Ralph Featherstone, manager of a Knoxville radio station; and Mr. Steve Wyandt, a freelance commercial artist from Johnson City, Tennessee.
Dr. Tucker, who recently returned from three years of pioneering in Jamaica, devoted the evening session to a talk on community development.
Despite the seemingly modest number of persons attending, it was the largest Bahá’í gathering yet to be held in the eastern half of Tennessee, now in its second year as a separate Bahá’í district.
As a result of the conference, the District Teaching Committee is forming an “information resource team” composed of persons working in different communications media, to assist the District Teaching Committee with publicity for Bahá’í activities.
Dr. Tucker, who suggested forming the resource team, praised the spirit of unity and purpose animating the institute.
He called the assembled believers a “roomful of experts” on the Faith and its activities, adding, “Three years ago when I left this country it wasn’t that way. We didn’t have many experts in the Faith then.”
During the newspaper workshop by Mr. Matthews, a reporter for “The Tullahoma News and Guardian”, each participant was asked to write a press release for his hometown newspaper about his community’s presence at the institute. The best of these were later edited and mailed to the newspapers they were written for.
Mr. Matthews pointed out that Bahá’ís seeking newspaper publicity for a particular event or public meeting can usually obtain it simply by going to the editor and asking him to print a story on it.
For those who cannot go in person to the newspaper, or who prefer to submit a written press release, Mr. Matthews presented an outline on how to write a news story.
Mr. Matthews said newspapers make money from two main sources—sales and subscriptions on one hand, and paid advertising on the other. “When you give a news story to the paper you do not pay for it,” he said.
Since news stories are normally printed at no charge, he said, one should not ask the editor how much it will cost, complain if a story does not appear, or be too concerned if the newspaper rewrites it to fit the paper’s individual style.
Mr. Featherstone, manager of radio station WJBE in Knoxville, said Bahá’í radio publicity usually is available through either spot announcements or half-hour programs.
He said that in writing spot announcements (which are broadcast free by the radio station as a public service), one should make them short enough to be read in 10 seconds or less.
“The shorter it is the more likely it is to be read on the air,” Mr. Featherstone said, adding that the announcement should be sent to the station’s publicity director at least two weeks in advance.
In seeking interviews or half-hour programs, he said, a Bahá’í should go directly to the station manager. He recommended using the radio tapes prepared at the National Center since these are very professional.
He suggested that Bahá’ís cultivate good relations with a radio station by visiting it occasionally. “Let them know you are interested in their radio station,” he said. “If they begin to see you often enough they begin to know who you are and what you stand for.”
Auxiliary Board member Dr. William Tucker (right) with Mr. Jack Keelsing of Knoxville.
When Bahá’ís sponsor an event that is open to the public, he said, “always send an invitation—by name—to everyone who works at the station including the janitor,” Mr. Featherstone recommended.
Management, he pointed out, “is looking for good programs.” Larry Jennings, another WJBE employee, said, “Very seldom will you find a radio station that will turn you off—they depend on their listeners.”
“TV is like radio with pictures,” said Mr. Wyandt, who has had experience working in television. “The only difference is, you don’t linger around a TV station—you probably will pull someone off a job.”
He noted that in approaching a television station it is best to go to the public service director.
“Stay away from your general manager,” Mr. Wyandt advised. “Most I’ve known are pretty hectic.”
Mr. Wyandt, Mr. Featherstone and
Some of the Bahá’ís who attended the Knoxville media conference.
From left to right, Mr. Gary Matthews, Mr. Steve Wyandt, Dr. William Tucker, and Mr. Ralph Featherstone.
Deepening Program Studied[edit]
A campout to study the Comprehensive Deepening Program materials was recently organized by the Local Spiritual Assembly of Iowa City, Iowa. Sixty Bahá’ís attended the two-day session at Palisades-Kepler State Park.
The Comprehensive Deepening Program was issued by the National Spiritual Assembly earlier this year to assist the American Bahá’í community in “accelerating and strengthening its efforts to consolidate.”
In its Foreword to the five-volume package, the National Assembly said consolidation is one of the great challenges facing the Bahá’ís.
“Ultimately, the emergence of strong and spiritualized communities must rest firmly upon gaining a clearer apprehension of God’s purpose for man and translating that understanding into individual and collective action on a daily basis,” the Assembly said.
The Deepening Program emphasizes the practical application of Bahá’í principles in meeting demands, facing tests, solving problems, and seizing opportunities for development.
Dave Childers from Cedar Falls, Iowa, opened the conference on Saturday morning, September 22, with a presentation on the meaning of deepening. He discussed man’s purpose as a spiritual being and the transformation of the inner self that comes through the acquisition of virtues.
John and Karen Para, from Kingsley, Iowa, presented a talk on Bahá’í marriage and its far-reaching implications. Personal experiences and quotations from the Bahá’í writings animated the presentation.
Saturday evening was devoted to pioneering. Several Bahá’ís from Iowa and Minnesota recounted their experiences in South Carolina, Mexico, and Central America. A slide program, music, and posters were used to enhance the presentations.
Sunday morning, after a dawn breakfast, Mrs. Edith Elmore, from Davenport, Iowa, spoke on the Bahá’í electoral process. Her comments stressed the great importance of the Administrative Order, the need for individual self-expression, and the spiritual obligation to participate in Bahá’í elections.
Sunday afternoon, Dr. John Hofert, Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Nebraska, spoke on the supreme gift of God to man, the intellect.
Dynamic Youth Committee Formed in Fresno Area[edit]
The Bahá’í youth of the Fresno area have, with the approval of their local institutions, formed the Inter-Community Youth Committee. Their purpose is to galvanize the energies of the youth in furthering the aims of the Cause in the San Joaquin Valley.
Among the projects and activities undertaken by the ICYC since its inception at summer’s end was a proclamation-concert featuring England Dan and John Ford Coley, Don Reed, and other groups from Los Angeles; a deepening program combined with field work to emphasize to local believers the great importance of participation in the District Convention; a picnic and celebration of the Birth of the Báb; and a small bulletin to inform all local Bahá’ís of the activities of their Faith on a local scale.
News Briefs[edit]
U.S. Goal Unfilled in the Dominican Republic[edit]
One of the countries in which we have assigned goals, during this interim year, is the Dominican Republic, a Spanish-speaking island situated between Haiti and Puerto Rico.
There are three universities in the country for pioneers who wish to continue their education, and employment is available for those with experience in mining, hotel management, and education.
Doctors willing to work in rural areas can find jobs. Employment contracts should be obtained from the United States. There are U.S. firms that have subsidiaries in the Dominican Republic.
The average monthly living cost for an individual is approximately $200, and roughly $350 per month for a married couple.
For more information, please contact the International Goals Committee, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois 60091 (Tel. No. 312/256-4400).
WORLD ORDER
Read WORLD ORDER, share it with your friends, Bahá’ís and seekers alike.
BAHÁ’ÍS OF CROWN HAVEN, LITTLE ABACO. From left to right: Caroline Currie, Mrs. Smith, Hilda Smith, Maude Russell, Lillian Russell, and Mr. Smith.
MAUDE RUSSELL, the first believer on the island of Abaco, Bahamas.
Milwaukee Assembly Turned 50 in November[edit]
Dr. Loftin Clark and Mrs. Beula Brown at the fiftieth anniversary celebration of the formation of the Spiritual Assembly of Milwaukee. Dr. Clark and Mrs. Brown were members of the original Assembly of this Wisconsin city.
The anniversary celebration was held at Alioto’s Restaurant, in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, on November 9. More than 150 people attended. The guest speaker for the occasion was Miss Charlotte Linfoot, assistant secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly. A Tablet of the Master to the first Milwaukee Assembly was also read.
The Assembly first met in the home of Mrs. Brown. By 1934, eleven years after the Assembly’s formation, Milwaukee was the third-largest Bahá’í community in the country.
Mrs. Brown is a second-generation Bahá’í. Dr. Clark enrolled in the Bahá’í Faith in 1920. He has been a chiropractor for 52 years.
School Proclamation[edit]
For the celebration of Bahá’u’lláh’s birthday, the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Inglewood Judicial District, California, presented Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era to the Lennox School District.
In the photo, Howard Jacobs (left), vice-chairman of the Inglewood J.D. Assembly, presents the book to Mr. Larry Kennedy, principal of Larch Elementary School.
West Asia Youth Conference[edit]
The National Bahá’í Youth Committee of India is planning to hold the Second West Asia Youth Conference at Bangalore, from July 27–31, 1973. This conference is a continuation of the First West Asia Youth Conference and has been approved by The Universal House of Justice as well as the National Spiritual Assembly of India.
Bahá’í youth from Iran, Pakistan, Ceylon, Malaysia, the Near East, and Arabia are expected to attend.
Mr. and Mrs. James Many Hides, from the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, cast ballots at the Montana District Convention on October 28. They were the first Indian believers ever to attend.
Youth Meetings[edit]
Weekly meetings are being held for all youth in the Fort Lauderdale and surrounding areas. Each Wednesday night, a youth will host the meeting with special emphasis on youth deepening on the important subjects of chastity, love, marriage, morality, and particular youth problems and bounties. The classes will use Shoghi Effendi’s The Advent of Divine Justice as a text. Also planned are proclamations, teaching events, beach gatherings, ice skating, youth parties, etc.
Bulletin Board[edit]
Rescue Documents[edit]
The National Spiritual Assembly requests that Bahá’ís inheriting papers from early believers consult with the National Archives Committee before disposing of any acquired documents. The Archives Committee is interested in correspondence among early Bahá’ís and in manuscripts and other materials that may be of significant historical value.
The National Archives Committee is located at the National Bahá’í Center, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois 60091.
Medical People Only[edit]
The International Goals Committee is interested in finding medical doctors, registered nurses, and other medical personnel, to fill pioneering posts abroad. The committee, from time to time, learns of opportunities for medical people abroad, and is anxious to assist qualified individuals to find employment in goal areas.
If you are in the medical field, or working toward a medical degree, and are interested in pioneering abroad, please contact the International Goals Committee, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois 60091.
Intercultural Banquet[edit]
The Anoka and Coon Rapids, Minnesota, Bahá’ís hosted a very successful intercultural banquet in the Anoka City Hall Community Room to commemorate the anniversary of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh.
Area residents and metropolitan Bahá’ís enjoyed dishes from the Navajo Nation, Persia, Ukraine, and South India. The entire Bahá’í community served as hosts and hostesses at the November 12 event to reflect the ideal of service to mankind taught by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
Each Bahá’í cook served her country’s food and gave a brief explanation of its origin.
On display around the banquet area were art objects from the four cultures represented.
Pilgrimages Resumed[edit]
The National Spiritual Assembly has announced that pilgrimage to the Holy Places at the Bahá’í World Centre, which was postponed during the recent Arab-Israeli crisis, has begun again. A cablegram received from The Universal House of Justice on November 20 stated: “Pilgrimage reinstated December 10 onwards.”
Instructor Needed[edit]
A job for a special education instructor is available in the unopened locality of Sierra Blanca in western Texas. Applicants must have an elementary education teaching certificate. All interested persons should contact the National Teaching Committee, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois 60091, for more information.
South Carolina[edit]
1. Mr. Albert Price. 2. Conference room during one session. 3. A view of Columbia. 4. Mr. George Frye, who served as conference chairman.
5. Bahá’í bus used in teaching in the State. 6. A young artist displays her happy work. 7. Mr. Jim Harris, a Bahá’í patrolman in Columbia. 8. Concentration. 9. There was even time for visiting. 10. An announcer prepares to interview Bahá’ís attending conference for a local radio station.
Visiting pioneers in remote outposts a job for you?[edit]
As the Bahá’í Faith becomes more widespread and increasing numbers of believers enter the Cause of God in the remote areas of the world, more opportunities present themselves for travel-teaching abroad. In the past few years, many of the friends have availed themselves of this exciting method of teaching and have traveled thousands of miles to spread the Message of Bahá’u’lláh.
Travel-teaching encompasses a variety of activities and is not limited to merely speaking at firesides. In fact, there is a great need for teachers who can travel and visit with pioneers who live in inaccessible areas and who have not had a visitor from home in some time. These types of visits can comfort and inspire hard-working pioneers for many months to come.
In order to carry out a successful teaching trip, however, certain steps must be taken in advance to ensure the most productive use of time as a travel-teacher.
First, if you are considering travel-teaching abroad, you should be sure to contact the International Goals Committee and let them know of your plans well in advance. They will need to know how much time you have to spend, your preferences as to the area you would like to visit and whether or not you have sufficient funds to cover your expenses. They will assist you in planning your itinerary, seek deputization assistance where necessary and/or available, and put you in contact with the appropriate administrative bodies.
However, before you get underway, there are certain questions which the International Goals Committee will ask, and which you should be prepared to answer. What kind of teaching do you prefer or what form of teaching are you best qualified for (i.e., addressing large audiences, mass teaching, small firesides, etc.)? Are you physically able to endure rugged living conditions or should you limit yourself to the more urban areas? Are you fluent enough in a foreign language to teach in it? Can you teach independently or are you more effective as a member of a team? Are you capable of doing consolidation as well as the initial teaching?
All of this information will assist the International Goals Committee in setting up an appropriate project for you. Special forms will be sent to you with these questions and others on them.
Secondly, you will want to prepare yourself so that you can be effective in your teaching work. If you can, you should prepare visual aids. Filmstrips, slides, and tapes are greatly appreciated, especially in remote areas. Take with you a supply of photographs of Bahá’ís around the world (from Bahá’í News, The American Bahá’í, or other Bahá’í publications) as these are an attraction.
If you play a portable instrument, try to take it along, especially a flute or guitar. If not, another valuable teaching aid is a cassette player and recorder. Music is a powerful means of communication and is an inspiration to everyone, from the city dweller to the most primitive of people.
But most importantly, deepen yourself in preparation for this important activity. During the weeks or months before you actually leave on your teaching trip, you should take advantage of every opportunity to gain experience as a Bahá’í teacher. Offer to give fireside talks, join teaching teams and local teaching projects, and call on your Local Spiritual Assembly for advice and suggestions on how to best prepare yourself. If you are going to a non-English-speaking area, spend as much time as possible practicing the language and talking with others who are fluent. But, most of all, deepen.
And finally, make your plans well in advance. “Short notice” trips have a limited value in that the receiving country is ill-prepared to receive you and there is not time for the right notification to take place.
The International Goals Committee has much information to share with those who volunteer and is also aware of where the needs are. They will be happy to share with you all the latest information regarding travel-teaching. Just write to the Committee at 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois 60091.
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Mohonk Mountain House on Mohonk Lake, New York Did you know that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave a talk here in 1912? This sprawling resort in the foothills of the Shawangunk Mountains of Southern New York State was dreamed of and built in 1869 by Albert K. Smiley, a Quaker school teacher and humanitarian. It was a place, he thought, where the “eternal values” would be stressed and promoted. In 1895, Smiley and some prominent friends initiated a Conference on International Arbitration, which became a yearly event attended by hundreds of influential figures, until it was interrupted by the dreadful events of World War I. In 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was invited to address this conference. In April 1931, Bahá’í News, in a lengthy survey, recalled some of the details of that visit. “...The first evening He delivered an address, and the audience, composed of some of the leading men and women of America, as well as representatives of other lands, clapped and clapped, asking for more. But ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had to decline, because He was tired and had to rest His voice. When He left to return to New York He made a gift of an exquisite Persian rug to the President of the Conference.” Dr. Zia Baghdadi, a companion of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on that visit, volunteered to make the near impossible one-night journey to New York City to fetch that rug so it might be presented to Mr. Smiley when the Bahá’í party left the resort. He departed from Lake Mohonk at 9 p.m. and raced by carriage to the New Paltz railroad station. There being no scheduled passenger service that night, he jumped a passing freight train, only to have to plead with the conductor to allow him to remain aboard. The train reached New York at 2:00 a.m. Dr. Baghdadi hurried to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s apartment, selected the best rug he could find, and rushed back to the railroad station, just in time for the morning train to New Paltz. At 9:00 a.m., he stepped off the coach at his destination and looked anxiously about for a carriage to take him to Lake Mohonk. The only vehicle in sight was a mail carriage. He pressed the driver into service and set off to meet ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. “We arrived at our destination just at the time when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was shaking hands with Mr. Smiley and preparing to leave. He took the rug with a smile and presented it to Mr. Smiley to keep as a souvenir,” Dr. Baghdadi later explained in a somewhat understated fashion. If you don’t subscribe to Bahá’í News, you probably missed this story, and hundreds of others just as interesting. Bahá’í News receives correspondence from every country and territory in the world where Bahá’ís reside. Every single month, Bahá’í News adds new facts to the story of the conquest of the planet by the new Religion of God. It is a saga you can’t really afford to miss. BAHÁ’Í NEWS... every edition is history. |
BAHÁ’Í BOOKS AND MATERIALS[edit]
SPECIAL MATERIALS[edit]
6-69-34 Bahá’í Wall Calendar, 1974
The 1974 wall calendar features a summertime color photograph of the House of Worship in Frankfurt. Bahá’í months are indicated within the Gregorian months by alternating blocks of green and orange numerals. Feast days and Holy Days are indicated by circles and squares around the numerals. Detailed information on special observances is printed on the back of the calendar. Calendars should be included with special materials orders.
- 1 copy/$.25 NET
- 10 copies/$2.00 NET
- 25 copies/$4.00 NET
- 100 copies/$15.00 NET
6-69-54 Bahá’í Pocket Calendar, 1974
Feasts and Holy Days are indicated on this convenient billfold or purse calendar. The back of the pale gold calendar lists Bahá’í Holy Days, noting which ones require suspension of work; the intercalary days; and the days of fasting. Calendars should be included with special materials orders.
- 1 copy/$.10 NET
- 4 copies/$.20 NET
- 100 copies/$3.00 NET
6-69-24 1974 Bahá’í Date Book
The 1974 beige Bahá’í Date Book provides a full Gregorian calendar for the 13 months from January 1974 through January 1975. Feast days are shaded for easy identification, and Holy Days are marked with nine-sided rosettes. Detailed information about the meaning of the Bahá’í calendar and notes on special observances and days on which work is suspended are included. Each page contains excerpts from Bahá’í writings. Calendar weeks begin with Monday, putting the two weekend days together for easier planning. A convenient section for names and addresses is provided. On the last page of the Date Book appear full calendars for the three years 1973, 1974, and 1975.
- 1 copy/$.35 NET
- 5 copies/$1.65 NET
- 25 copies/$7.75 NET
6-47-04 Calligraphic Portrait of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
This unusual wall hanging combines some of the most inspirational and soul-stirring words of the Master with a beautiful portrait. The artist, Randall Dighton, has hand-lettered the Tablet of Visitation, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s first public address in the West, and excerpts from Foundations of World Unity and Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in such a way that the calligraphy, when viewed at a distance of several feet, resolves into a portrait of the beloved Master. The wall hanging is printed in black ink on 11x14 inch ivory-colored parchment and is suitable for framing. This calligraphic portrait will be both a cherished personal possession and a much-appreciated gift.
- $1.00 NET
NOTE: It is very costly to process orders for less than $5.00. Community members should combine their calendar orders and order only through local librarians. Isolated believers who wish to order a calendar should try to make up an order of at least $5.00 of various items.
FILMSTRIP PROGRAMS[edit]
6-01-35 The Red Velvet Story
The Red Velvet Story is a delightful color filmstrip program that tells, in the simple and direct ways of children, how to teach the Bahá’í Faith with the help of audio-visual aids. In the program, we see children trying to describe red velvet to someone who has never seen it before. They compare it first to a rose and then to a small, furry kitten. Finally, they decide that the best way to describe the material is to show the person a piece of red velvet. Their teacher uses this discovery to help the children learn how to teach the Faith to people who have never heard of Bahá’u’lláh.
In the filmstrip, the different ways of learning and teaching are represented by the “learning flower.” The children discover that teaching is made easier through the use of pictures, postcards, and reading cards; through songs, models, and drawings; through tape recordings, slide programs, movies, and radio and television programs. They also discover how easy it can be to teach the Faith by explaining the Ringstone symbol or by cutting figures from a piece of felt and arranging them on a felt board.
As the program ends, the audience receives a warm and spontaneous invitation to join the discussion of ways to teach the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh.
The Red Velvet Story was produced by the Audio-Visual Department at the Bahá’í World Centre in Haifa, Israel, and the “actors” are members of the World Centre children’s class. This is the first filmstrip made especially for children and will be an invaluable aid in teaching children’s classes both in local communities and at summer/winter schools and institutes. Color. 112 frames.
- Filmstrip, cassette, narration book/$7.00
BAHÁ’Í LITERATURE[edit]
Divine Law: Source of Human Rights
A new pamphlet on human rights, prepared by the Bahá’í International Community, is now available. It outlines Bahá’í attitudes on human rights and explains the spiritual law of unity and its meaning for the destiny of mankind. The pamphlet contains quotations from the Bahá’í Writings on human rights, justice, and unity. In addition, there are two essays entitled “Divine Law: Education for Human Happiness” and “The Bahá’í Community and the United Nations.” The latter is an explanation of ways in which the Bahá’í International Community cooperates with the United Nations and works to promote an awareness of human rights. Divine Law: Source of Human Rights will be indispensable for United Nations and Human Rights Day events and for mailing to dignitaries and interested organizations. Printed in maroon ink on soft grey paper. Eight-page folder, slimline format.
- 10/$.75
- 100/$6.50
[Page 15]
Media Conference
(Continued from page nine)
Mr. Matthews all stressed that if Bahá’í material is printed or broadcast, the believers should make a point of thanking the editor or manager responsible.
“Call and let them know if you see something you like,” Mr. Wyandt said, noting that this may exert a tremendous influence on a station’s decision to air such materials as the Bahá’í public service messages prepared for television at the National Center.
Dr. Tucker said the key to Bahá’í community development is the individual’s commitment to the Faith and the degree to which he lives a spiritual life.
In doing these things, he said, the believers can draw tremendous creative power from the prayers and Writings of Bahá’u’lláh—for example, by reciting the Long Obligatory Prayer and the Tablet of Ahmad, and saying the Greatest Name 95 times a day.
“If all of us would go back to our communities and practice these things for 19 days, we would see a tremendous change,” he said.
One way to strengthen a Local Spiritual Assembly is for the friends to turn to it for help with their problems, the Auxiliary Board member stated. In turn, he added, the Local Spiritual Assembly should take the believers into its confidence by laying before them its own problems and concerns and seeking their views.
The Assembly can best do this during the Nineteen-Day Feast, which Dr. Tucker described as “the foundation of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh” and “the heart of our spiritual activity.”
Other important aids to community development, he said, are opening lines of communication, holding regular firesides, teaching and studying the messages from The Universal House of Justice and the National Spiritual Assembly.
Study abroad[edit]
Many international agencies will assist individuals in planning for study abroad. Some examples follow:
The Council on International Educational Exchange, 777 United Nations Plaza, New York 10017, offers a pamphlet outlining some of the programs available in Africa, Latin America, Europe and Asia. They suggest the material preparation necessary and also recommend available State Department publications that evaluate the program.
The U.S. Department of State, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402, offers a pamphlet called “Educational and Cultural Exchange Opportunities.” The cost is 25 cents.
BAHÁ’ÍS OF TEANECK proclaim the Faith in city park. Among those shown in the photograph are Dr. and Mrs. Edward Carpenter, Mrs. Joan McLaughlin, Mrs. Diane McLaughlin, Mrs. Grace Weiss, Mr. and Mrs. John Savage, Mr. and Mrs. Eugene French, Mrs. Marion Flagg, and Mr. Tony Lewis.
An agency which offers planned four- and six-week study programs at well-known European, Asian and African universities and schools are the American Institute of Foreign Study, 102 Greenwich Avenue, Greenwich, Connecticut 06830, and the Foreign Study League, 111 East 3300 South, Salt Lake City, Utah 84110. The Foreign Study League has programs for junior high school, high school, and college students in winter, spring and summer. The American Institute of Foreign Study offers year-round as well as short-term programs.
Information about opportunities abroad is often available to high school and college counsellors, who should be consulted.
The Institute of International Education has several branch agencies around the country, which provide information about overseas universities and their academic requirements. The address of the Chicago office is 65 Water Street, Chicago, Illinois 60601.
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USA international goals
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Inside:
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UNIVERSAL PARTICIPATION will bring in the masses, think the Bahá’ís of South Carolina. A regional Universal Participation Conference was held there recently to begin to prove the point. Details begin on PAGE 3. A WORD TO THE WISE about careers. Bahá’í youth must prepare for the future. Dr. Alfred Neumann gives some helpful advice on how to chose a field of work. Story PAGE 6. TENNESSEE BAHÁ’ÍS recently met in Knoxville to explore ways of getting better publicity for the Faith. Story PAGE 9. BAHÁ’Í YOUTH too have goals for this interim year. The National Teaching Committee announces new projects for youth. Story PAGE one. |
Global plan to last five years, page 1
Pilgrimages started again, page 11
Visiting the remote outposts, page 13
